This is a place for G.M.s and GM wannabes to share ideas and their own methods of play. It is not a locked forum so be aware your players may be watching!
BirdyToe wrote:How about "I'd do it this way if I was gm." Then why don't you start a game and stop whining."F^%&,no good game's start out of bars."No you're imagination is so limited that you think all adventures have to start in a tavern.
I whole-heartedly agree. If you don't like my style of GMing, then shut up and run your own damned game. What's that? You enjoy being a player more than a GM? Then just shut up and play. Every GM is different - I don't want to hear what you'd do because I'm running the current campaign.
To go along with this, I hate it when I hear someone say "Well, that's not how this one GM I gamed with a couple years ago did it". And I'm supposed to care what some random GM you played with a couple years ago did? Why is that, actually? Again, if you don't like my style of GMing, then go run a campaign of your own. If you think so-and-so did a better job than I did, then go back to playing with them.
BirdyToe wrote:How about "I'd do it this way if I was gm." Then why don't you start a game and stop whining."F^%&,no good game's start out of bars."No you're imagination is so limited that you think all adventures have to start in a tavern.
I whole-heartedly agree. If you don't like my style of GMing, then shut up and run your own damned game. What's that? You enjoy being a player more than a GM? Then just shut up and play. Every GM is different - I don't want to hear what you'd do because I'm running the current campaign.
To go along with this, I hate it when I hear someone say "Well, that's not how this one GM I gamed with a couple years ago did it". And I'm supposed to care what some random GM you played with a couple years ago did? Why is that, actually? Again, if you don't like my style of GMing, then go run a campaign of your own. If you think so-and-so did a better job than I did, then go back to playing with them.
That "if you dont like how I GM then you do it" tactic can backfire on you... Just ask the guy who was my 2nd gm... The group was getting to the point where we were seeing how illogical the "common" dungeon design (open door, kill monster take its stuff) was. We were cracking jokes in between rooms. the GM became so incensed by this that he made the statement "if you think you can do better then you GM!" The next week I was the GM... The gang thought my adventure was the best they had ever experienced. all I did was logically design the "ecology" of the dungeon, and make the group RP finding out about the crawl and what treasures "might" be there. (as well as throwing in some rivals who wanted the same items). The old GM never did get back behind the screen after that...
DM is correct by the way. - Ninjabunny It's a shoddy carpenter who blames his tools. - Killer Cyborg Every group has one problem player. If you cannot spot the one in your group; look in the mirror. It is not a good session until at least one player looks you in the eye and says "you sick twisted evil ****"
BirdyToe wrote:How about "I'd do it this way if I was gm." Then why don't you start a game and stop whining."F^%&,no good game's start out of bars."No you're imagination is so limited that you think all adventures have to start in a tavern.
I whole-heartedly agree. If you don't like my style of GMing, then shut up and run your own damned game. What's that? You enjoy being a player more than a GM? Then just shut up and play. Every GM is different - I don't want to hear what you'd do because I'm running the current campaign.
To go along with this, I hate it when I hear someone say "Well, that's not how this one GM I gamed with a couple years ago did it". And I'm supposed to care what some random GM you played with a couple years ago did? Why is that, actually? Again, if you don't like my style of GMing, then go run a campaign of your own. If you think so-and-so did a better job than I did, then go back to playing with them.
That "if you dont like how I GM then you do it" tactic can backfire on you... Just ask the guy who was my 2nd gm... The group was getting to the point where we were seeing how illogical the "common" dungeon design (open door, kill monster take its stuff) was. We were cracking jokes in between rooms. the GM became so incensed by this that he made the statement "if you think you can do better then you GM!" The next week I was the GM... The gang thought my adventure was the best they had ever experienced. all I did was logically design the "ecology" of the dungeon, and make the group RP finding out about the crawl and what treasures "might" be there. (as well as throwing in some rivals who wanted the same items). The old GM never did get back behind the screen after that...
I think he played you....
Rifter 52 Cannibal Magic Rifter 55 The Ancestral Mystic P.C.C. Rifter 59 The Lopanic Games adventure "The Lion, the Ditch & the Warlock". Illustrations to this adventure can be found here. Rifter 71 & 72 Double Issue Ninjas & Superspies adventure "On a Wing & a Prayer" Rifter 80 Masters Unlimited
BirdyToe wrote:How about "I'd do it this way if I was gm." Then why don't you start a game and stop whining."F^%&,no good game's start out of bars."No you're imagination is so limited that you think all adventures have to start in a tavern.
I whole-heartedly agree. If you don't like my style of GMing, then shut up and run your own damned game. What's that? You enjoy being a player more than a GM? Then just shut up and play. Every GM is different - I don't want to hear what you'd do because I'm running the current campaign.
To go along with this, I hate it when I hear someone say "Well, that's not how this one GM I gamed with a couple years ago did it". And I'm supposed to care what some random GM you played with a couple years ago did? Why is that, actually? Again, if you don't like my style of GMing, then go run a campaign of your own. If you think so-and-so did a better job than I did, then go back to playing with them.
That "if you dont like how I GM then you do it" tactic can backfire on you... Just ask the guy who was my 2nd gm... The group was getting to the point where we were seeing how illogical the "common" dungeon design (open door, kill monster take its stuff) was. We were cracking jokes in between rooms. the GM became so incensed by this that he made the statement "if you think you can do better then you GM!" The next week I was the GM... The gang thought my adventure was the best they had ever experienced. all I did was logically design the "ecology" of the dungeon, and make the group RP finding out about the crawl and what treasures "might" be there. (as well as throwing in some rivals who wanted the same items). The old GM never did get back behind the screen after that...
I think he played you....
I thought that at one time too... even offered to let him have the "job" back... The group rebelled. Refused to play in games he GMd (said they were not fun like mine).
DM is correct by the way. - Ninjabunny It's a shoddy carpenter who blames his tools. - Killer Cyborg Every group has one problem player. If you cannot spot the one in your group; look in the mirror. It is not a good session until at least one player looks you in the eye and says "you sick twisted evil ****"
BirdyToe wrote:How about "I'd do it this way if I was gm." Then why don't you start a game and stop whining."F^%&,no good game's start out of bars."No you're imagination is so limited that you think all adventures have to start in a tavern.
I whole-heartedly agree. If you don't like my style of GMing, then shut up and run your own damned game. What's that? You enjoy being a player more than a GM? Then just shut up and play. Every GM is different - I don't want to hear what you'd do because I'm running the current campaign.
To go along with this, I hate it when I hear someone say "Well, that's not how this one GM I gamed with a couple years ago did it". And I'm supposed to care what some random GM you played with a couple years ago did? Why is that, actually? Again, if you don't like my style of GMing, then go run a campaign of your own. If you think so-and-so did a better job than I did, then go back to playing with them.
That "if you dont like how I GM then you do it" tactic can backfire on you... Just ask the guy who was my 2nd gm... The group was getting to the point where we were seeing how illogical the "common" dungeon design (open door, kill monster take its stuff) was. We were cracking jokes in between rooms. the GM became so incensed by this that he made the statement "if you think you can do better then you GM!" The next week I was the GM... The gang thought my adventure was the best they had ever experienced. all I did was logically design the "ecology" of the dungeon, and make the group RP finding out about the crawl and what treasures "might" be there. (as well as throwing in some rivals who wanted the same items). The old GM never did get back behind the screen after that...
I think he played you....
I thought that at one time too... even offered to let him have the "job" back... The group rebelled. Refused to play in games he GMd (said they were not fun like mine).
Rifter 52 Cannibal Magic Rifter 55 The Ancestral Mystic P.C.C. Rifter 59 The Lopanic Games adventure "The Lion, the Ditch & the Warlock". Illustrations to this adventure can be found here. Rifter 71 & 72 Double Issue Ninjas & Superspies adventure "On a Wing & a Prayer" Rifter 80 Masters Unlimited
'Had a player quit an online Splicers game I just started running (all people I've gamed with before, but some have not met each other being that I didn't know everyone at the same time and some have moved away).
His reasons? (paraphrased)
"...there's too much to read in the world primer you posted..." It's less than 2 pages printed out, you lazy bastitch.
"...I'm too lazy to ask the GM questions about the world so I understand it better...I'd rather just post things that are incorrect for the setting and you allow it thereby letting me rewrite the setting as I see fit..." He refused to accept the idea that host armor pilots strip naked before suiting up. It's in the primer.
"...too much plot not enough combat..." huh???? You never complained about plot at the table, even when we went multiple nights without fights sometimes. The game is literally starting out, he's only posted twice (most people have posted about 5 times), and he's already expecting to be knee-deep in gritty battles against robots. They're still getting to know each other, getting their mission briefing, getting war mounts, etc. They haven't even stepped foot outside of the Great House's staging area yet.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." He flat-out doesn't respond to things in the game that are directed at his character. A superior officer asked him a question, he didn't answer it. He clearly isn't reading all the posts, if he's skimming them all, he's doing a crappy job of it.
Sadly, this player discovered World of Warcraft a couple months ago...guess I won't be seeing much of him again ever. He has a very addictive personality, he should have known better than to start playing WoW. One of the FF games came out and he threw away his college time (senior in college, one semester from graduating...flunked...out...because of a FF game)
Oh well, the game has improved greatly in the two days since he stepped down. One of the good players stepped up and is playing the dropped Roughneck PC now, in addition to his Technojacker.
Good gamer at the table, horrible online, possibly hampered by his WoW addiction."
"We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine And the machine is bleeding to death The sun has fallen down And the billboards are all leering And the flags are all dead at the top of their poles ...I open up my wallet And it's full of blood "~~Godspeed you black emperor.
Balabanto wrote:The thing I hate to hear most as a GM is this:
"I commit suicide."
There are very few situations where committing suicide is the right course of action, and quite frankly, a good GM should always give a PC a way out, even if it might be a little humiliating or unpleasant. That shouldn't be a solution to any problem.
I blame online "RPGs" like World of Warcraft and their instant gratification aspects. Many younger players are incapable of playing a traditional pen and paper game.
I want to see from Palladium: Updated Aug 2015 -Rifts: Dark Woods/Deep South, Space 110 PA, Scandinavia -Mechanoids: Space (MDC) -Robotech: Errata for Marines timeline, Masters Deluxe with SC and UEEF gear, Spaceships -Updated Errata for post-2006 printings of Rifts books -Searchable, quality PDFs/E-pubs of current Rifts titles
Cell phones are on vibrate. If it rings, you lose 100 experience points. If it rings more than 3 times in a single gaming session, you're out until the next time we can game.
If the call is not from family, don't answer it. If it isn't from family and you answer it, you lose 100 experience points. If it isn't from family and you are on the phone more than 5 minutes, you're out until the next gaming session.
If the call is from family and it is not an emergency, you have 3 minutes to state your piece and get off the phone. Longer than 3 minutes and it's not an emergency = you're out until the next session.
There is no non-emergency phone call so important that it cannot wait until we take a group-agreed-upon break or we are done gaming. By taking phone calls in the middle of the game you are telling us that you'd rather be somewhere else doing something else. It's rude, and I won't stand for it.
Personally, I prefer to have things this way, however I have been on the wrong side of this before. My current job I am literally on call 24/365, *even on vacation*. I am expected to answer my phone day or night and be accessible. *ANY* call from work, even if not a crisis, is expected to be answered immediately, with only occasional excuses such as "I was in the shower" accepted. It really sucks, but I'm getting paid well for it. I was usually GM but at times was a player. There were nights I had to cancel the game 15 minutes after everyone arrived because of a crisis at work. Your rules might work for your group, but they are definitely not a solution for every group, especially in today's modern society where many more jobs are on call and urgent. Sadly it was one of the reasons I stopped gaming years ago, although not the key factor.
"But you can't make an omelet without ruthlessly crushing dozens of eggs beneath your steel boot and then publicly disemboweling the chickens that laid them as a warning to others." -Order of the Stick #760
Cell phones are on vibrate. If it rings, you lose 100 experience points. If it rings more than 3 times in a single gaming session, you're out until the next time we can game.
If the call is not from family, don't answer it. If it isn't from family and you answer it, you lose 100 experience points. If it isn't from family and you are on the phone more than 5 minutes, you're out until the next gaming session.
If the call is from family and it is not an emergency, you have 3 minutes to state your piece and get off the phone. Longer than 3 minutes and it's not an emergency = you're out until the next session.
There is no non-emergency phone call so important that it cannot wait until we take a group-agreed-upon break or we are done gaming. By taking phone calls in the middle of the game you are telling us that you'd rather be somewhere else doing something else. It's rude, and I won't stand for it.
Personally, I prefer to have things this way, however I have been on the wrong side of this before. My current job I am literally on call 24/365, *even on vacation*. I am expected to answer my phone day or night and be accessible. *ANY* call from work, even if not a crisis, is expected to be answered immediately, with only occasional excuses such as "I was in the shower" accepted. It really sucks, but I'm getting paid well for it. I was usually GM but at times was a player. There were nights I had to cancel the game 15 minutes after everyone arrived because of a crisis at work. Your rules might work for your group, but they are definitely not a solution for every group, especially in today's modern society where many more jobs are on call and urgent. Sadly it was one of the reasons I stopped gaming years ago, although not the key factor.
My group are my mates, my friends. We have fun. I dont solicit rules they can do what they like so if they wanna answer the phone then it is my job to try and make it more fun for them so they dont want to be on the phone. Thats hard I know but I would never take xp away. If an issue is TOO bi we'll have words but its usually a group things that is effecting everyones fun.
Rifter 52 Cannibal Magic Rifter 55 The Ancestral Mystic P.C.C. Rifter 59 The Lopanic Games adventure "The Lion, the Ditch & the Warlock". Illustrations to this adventure can be found here. Rifter 71 & 72 Double Issue Ninjas & Superspies adventure "On a Wing & a Prayer" Rifter 80 Masters Unlimited